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I agree with everyone here in that it does get better with more practice.

Large trees can be difficult to work with at times. Many of us carry amsteel extenders or extra long tree straps for just such a thing.

As far as the cold, try snugging up your UQ more, it should lift the hammock when you are not in it and should be snug against you when you are. Run a hand between the hammock and the UQ and feel for gaps. Also have a friend lay in the hammock for you while you are outside adjusting everything, have them tell you where they feel and cool spots and try adjusting the UQ to better fit.

You may also find a UQ protector useful to help deal with the wind robbing your UQ of heat.

As far as side sleeping, try raising the foot end of the hammock about 15-20 cm higher than your head end while keeping a good sag in your hammock. I've found that this helps to let me be able to sleep on my back, both sides, and even my stomach.

Don't feel discouraged, I don't think any of us had a perfect first hang.

*Heaven best have trees, because I plan to lounge for eternity.

Good judgement is the result of experience and experience the result of bad judgement. - Mark Twain

I had to get a much longer set of straps for here in the PNW, as the trees are as big as you have in your photos & bigger. One thing that looks off is the angle of your straps, in part due to how tightly they're strung. You want that 30* angle, so that the tension across the bottom doesn't throw your legs up. If you have a good angle, you'll have an almost flat diagonal lay & be about there for side sleeping. You might throw a pad in the hammock itself as it will shield a lot more wind than a poor fitting UQ.

My first few nights were as simple as a cheap closed cell foam pad & inside a sleeping bag.

It totally gets better. My first time out I froze my butt off. In a very short time I learned how to get the right hang, I got quilts and now I hang in total comfort. I could kick myself for not trying all this stuff sooner. I hate to think of all the time I wasted in tents.

I had to get a much longer set of straps for here in the PNW, as the trees are as big as you have in your photos & bigger. One thing that looks off is the angle of your straps, in part due to how tightly they're strung. You want that 30* angle, so that the tension across the bottom doesn't throw your legs up. If you have a good angle, you'll have an almost flat diagonal lay & be about there for side sleeping. You might throw a pad in the hammock itself as it will shield a lot more wind than a poor fitting UQ.

My first few nights were as simple as a cheap closed cell foam pad & inside a sleeping bag.

Quick easy way to find 30*. Use your hand. When the hand is flat palm sideways like a hand shake the point from thumb to pointer finger is roughly 30*.

Yosemite Sam: Are you trying﻿ to make me look a fool?Bugs: You don't need me to make you look like a fool.Yosemite Sam: Yer deerrrnnn right I don't!

One thing that I noticed about myself was whenever I would set up I was always trying to make sure I was doing everything correctly. Thing is ..... " correctly " is a little subjective. People share their experiences because that's what worked for them, and that's what we do here is share. Thing is that there's no really right or wrong way. Your first objective should be "am I doing this safely " your next objective is ..... What ever you want it to be. For some its max comfortability others its packability. We all address the same issues at some point in time but the order in which these tasks are tackled is up to the individual . There's no race to win although many of us enter it, theres no test score although many of us look for a grade. Surf the forum, take your time and enjoy your hammock. All in all it will get better and better but not as your hammock changes but as you change.

There's a learning curve with hammocking; it's a little steeper than with tent or tarp camping because of the differences in how you have to think of things. However, it doesn't take long to figure out how to overcome the issues associated with hammocking.

Let's look at the issues you faced this time.

Site Selection: This is paramount, above all else. Proper site selection covereth a multitude of sins. Small tarps, bad weather, substandard insulation, etc. The only real help here is practice. However, there is a wonderful article by our very own Peter Pan on this that covers most of the basics.

Tree Huggers:Thank you for using these, especially on your first trip! Perception can be everything, and--unfortunately--hammocking is not mainstream enough for the general public (including park rangers and their superiors) to realize just how LNT it can be. That being said, getting or making longer huggers isn't hard. We have pines like the ones in your photos down here in FL, and my minimum hugger length is 6' (a little less than 2 m). Easy enough to fix............. and so on

+1, could not have put it better myself

The Urban Outdoorsman- inspiring people to get out and enjoy the great outdoors